Vault-door safety device



Nov. 20, 1928. 1,692,044

J. B. LXSCHKE VAULT DOOR SAFETY DEVICE Filed June 16, 1927 Patented Nov. 23, 1928.

barren S'T'TES ,IPATIENT orrics.

JOHN B. nrsonxn, or LANCASTER, KENTUCKY.

' VAULT-DOOR SAFETY DEVICE.

Application filed June 16,

in a partially open position and uncon-- trollable from the vault exterior by unauthorized persons.

Other objects of tie invention are mentioned and described herein.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the, accompanying draws ing, wherein Figure 1 is a side view in elevation'and in section illustrating a fragment of a bank vaultand' doorwith my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is-a front elevationthereof; andFig. 3 is a bottom plan view illustrating the latch element broken away. Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views on the drawing.

Referring'to the details ofthe drawing the numeral 1 indicates a fragment of a vault frame, or door ja-mb, and 2 the usual'vault door hinged thereto, the two eleniients being provided with the usual complementary stepped construction well known in the art. My invention contemplates the use of a keeper 3 rigidly secured .to a steppedportion of the vault door and a lock controlled latch 4rpivot-ally mounted within the latch casing 5 which is secured to the face of the vault frame within the vault. Thekeeper 3 may be rigidly secured to the door by screws 6, 6 and may be provided with the latch aperture 7 adjacent the forward end thereof, said aperture being adapted to be engaged by the hook 8 of the latch when the latter is operable manually, or otherwise. i I

The casing 5 may be a boX-likeelement open at the bottom thereof to permit the downward swing'of the latch element and may be provided with'the top Wall 9, inner end wall 10, two side walls 11,11, and a front wall 12, the latter of which maybe upwardly extended at 13 to form an interior lock chamber 14, and all of said walls may be integral with each other. The casing 5 may be provided also with a pair of lateral, 0pposed bracket elements 16, whereby it may be fastened to the vault frame 1 by screws 17.

1927. Serial no; 199,336.

The lock chamber 14 may be providedwith a rear opening 18 to facilitate the mounting of thekey lock in the chamber 1s, which opening may thereafter be closed by the cover plate 19 removably secured over said opening by'suitable screws 20;

A portion of the lock 15, which may be of any suitable bolt type, may project through the frontwall 12 ofthe casing to admit the key 22 for elfecting vertical reciprocal action ofthe lock bolt 28.

'The latch 1 may be pivotally mounted on the pin 2% within the casing and intermediate the latch extremities, the pin 24 being horizontally disposed and having its opposite ends mounted in the sidewalls 11 of the, casing 5. The latch l is normally held depressed by a leaf spring 25 which may be secured to the upper face of the latch by a screw 28, the otherend ofsaid spring hear ing resiliently against the inner face of-the l therefore, being resiliently and dov-Jnwardly topwall of the casing 5. The latch actuated by the spring 25 would cause the hookS to automatically engage the keeper aperture 7 as the door 2 is swung-inward.

The latch 4 may be provided with an extension 26 which bears against the lower end of the reciprocable lock bolt 23, latter functioningas' a stop Gl l ent to limit the downward swing of the opposite endof said latch, said latch being provided also with a shoulder or abutment portion 27 which is engageablc by the extreme outer end of the keeper 3 when the hook S is in engages mentwith keeper aperture 7'.

, Vhen the latch-4 is connected with keeper 3the latch hook 8 preventsopening ofthe door 2 from the outside of the'vault, and the latch abutment 2T, engageable by the end of the keeper 3, prevents closing of the door from the outside. But a person confined within the vault could readily disengage the latch from the keeper and emerge from the vault if conditions exteriorly of the vault justify such action, and this disengagement can readily be effected by upward manual pressureon' the under. side of the latch 4 adjacent the'hook section 8 thereof.

The latch 4. may be elevated and locked in inoperative position by downward actuation of the lock bolt 23, as indicated by the dotted line position of said latch, thereby rendering the device wholly inoperative and locking it against use by an unauthorized person. An advantage of my safety device is that it can readily be mounted, as an attachment, in combination with either the rectangular or square vault door.

If, through inadvertance, the vault door should become latched in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and no person should be confined within the vault, a special tool (not shown) may be provided, whereby an authorized person may manually tilt the latch 4 upward to disengage the latch hookfrom the keeper. F or night or holiday use the 'latche; may be locked in the inoperative position, as described.

I claim: 7 l. A device of the character described and including in Combination, a vault door, a keeper thereon,,a vault body element, a latch mount carried by the vault body element, a latch tiltably mounted upon said latch mount intermediate its extremities and adapted to cooperate with said keeper, and lock controlled means for tilting said latch.

2. A device of the character described and including in combination, a vault door, a

keeper thereon, a vault body element, a spring actuated tiltable latch carried by- Vsaid vault body and adapted to engage said includin in combination, a vault door, a

keeper thereon, a Vault body element, a latch ,mount Carried by the vault body element, a latch tiltably mounted upon said latch mount intermediate its i extremities and adapted to cooperate with said keeper, and lock controlled means engageable with one extremity of said latch for tilting the latter out otengagement with said keeper. v

5. in a device of the character described, a latch housing, a latch pivot-ally mounted. in said housing intermediate its extremities and provided with a hook at one end, and

lock controlled means mounted in said housingand adapted toengage the opposite end oi saidlatch for tilting the latter.

6. The combinationwith a vault door and door frame or jamb, of a keeper on said door, and means carried by said door frame or jamb for locking said door in ajar position, said means including combined door stop and latch element pivotally mounted intermediate its extremities and adapted to automatically engage said keeper as the door is swung toward the door frame or jamb, and lock controlledineans for retaining said stop and latch element in an inoperative position. V

7. The combination with a vault door and door frame or jamb, of a keeper on said door, and means carried by said door frame or 'jamb for locking said door in ajar position, said means including a spring actuated combined door stop andlatch' element pivotally mounted intermediate its extremities and adapted to automatically engage said keeper as the door is swung toward the door jamb, said stop and latch element being manually disengageable from said keeper from within the vault, and lock controlled means for retaining said stop an inoperative position.

and latch element in 8. A vault door safety device of the character described and comprising a housing,

a combined stop and latch element pivotally mounted within said housing intermediate the extremities of the former, said stop and latch element including. a hook at one end and an extension at the opposlte end thereof, spring means for downwardly actuating the hook on said stop and latch element, and stop means to limit the downward movement of said hook, said means including an element comprised in a lock,'the' latter including means for retaining the stop and latch element in a retracted position.

9. A. vault door safety device of the character described and comprising a housing provided with horizontal. and upright connected chambers, a keylock in said upright chamber, a combined stop and latch elementpivotally mounted in said horizontal housing'chamber, said latch element being provided with a hook at one end and 'an'extension on the opposite end thereof, aspring for actuating the hook of said stop nd latch element, and a bolt in said luckier engaging the extension 01 the stop and latch element to retain same in a retracted position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto at'iixed my signature this 13th day of June, 1927.

JOHN B. LISGHKE. 

